Education system
When you reach the grand old age of five in Spain, it’s time to to to school. But should your parents want to hand you over earlier, you will find nursery schools for children from as young as nine months.
Parents usually need to register their children for the September intake in May, either directly at the school or via the local town hall.
Nursery Education (3-6 years)
Children usually receive three years of nursery education to develop their physical and mental skills. From the age of four they learn to read and write and by the tiem they complete their EI they will know the alphabet. Emphasis is placed on learning about various aspects of different cultures, the enviroment and road awareness skills.
Primary Education (6-12 years)
The six years of primary education are split into three two-years periods. If the child has not reached the required standard by the end of any period the may have to repeat the second year of that stage.
Pupils learn Spanish language, maths, Conocimiento del medio (which includes history, geography and biology), Physical Education, Art and a second language, usually English. Religion is also taught at this stage in most schools, focursing on Catholicism.
There is no streaming in Spain; classes are all mixed ability, and parents can see teachers once a week to discuss their child’s progress and problems. Children are introduced to exams from around the third year of primary school, but there are no national level testing exams as is the case in the UK.
Parents need to buy all text books and materials, but they save on uniform as fes state schools have one. Homework may be giben frome the first year onwards.
School hours vary depending on the school and are usually from 9am to 4pm with and hour’s break for lunch.
If your child’s school day continues into the afternoon and you are unable to get home for lunchtime, school dinners are available.
Prepare your child for the fact that they will be sizeable lunches, as it is the main meal of the day for Spaniards, and that they will be encouraged to eat it, along with all the Spanish children. This may be traumatic at first for your child, being made to eat strange food with names they don’t understand.
Secondary Education (12-16/18 years)
The secondary school system in Spain has seen major changes in the past decade. It has moved away from the traditional rotelearning model and is now more akin to the British comprehensive system.
Pupils attend secondary school aged 12 to begin their four years of compulsory education. At the end, they receive a certificate and can either leave or go on to study for the “bachillerato”.
Spanish schools have a relaxed atmosphere with less discipline than Bristish schools, for example, and the family is expected to help the child with their sutdies.
Pupils who sty on after 16 can study form the two-years “Bachillerato” academic course (either Arts, Huminities, Sciencies or Technology), or enrol on practical training courses called “modulos”.
Those who have passed the Bachillerato with good marks and who wants to go on to university take an entrance exam in June.
Enrolling your child
Foreing parents chould prepare for a long process of enrolling their child in a Spanish state school. Go to your local town hall in the area you are moving to order to ask their requirements as the process and paperwork vary quite substantially from region to region.
Generally, enrolment takes place in May and you will need to take the child’s birth certificate or passport with an official translation of the partent’s passport. You will also need proof of the child’s immunisation, proof of residence and two passport photographs.
To enrol your child in a Spanish state secondary school, you need proof of convalidation –the official recor of your child’s education. It is best to do this before you move to Spain, having obtained the appropriate forms from the Department of Education at the following address:
Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia
C/ Alcalá, 34
28014 Madrid
telf. 91 701 80 00
Integration
Some primary schools in areas with large expat populations such as the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca provide extra Spanish classes to bring foreing pupils up to speed and to minimise disruption in classes for the Spanish children. They may also encourage a pairing scheme between Spanish and foreing children to help new pupils settle in.
Choosing a school
The mail choice to make is whether you want your child to go to a Spanish school or an international school.
Current figures show that 80% of expats send their children to state schools in Spain, an expererience that allows the child to integrate fully in local life and be speaking the language fluently within a year. But an international school will enable your child to ease their way into school in a foreign country yet in familiar surroundings with smaller classes taught in their language.
State schools
Spain’s state schools are non-fee paying, though parents must pay for school books, school supplies and extra curricular activities such as sport, music and art. Foreign pupils can attend Spanish state schools, but you need a document known as the ‘empadronamiento’. For this, you will need to registrer at the local town hall.
Spain’s public schools have improved considerably in recent years and the qualifications gained are valid if your child wants to study at a university elsewhere, such as the UK.
However, in areas with large expat communities such as the Costa del Sol, there is a growing problem of foreign pupils flooding schools. The result is disrupted classes, inadequate teaching and worse exam results as teachers are unable to deal with so many non-Spanish speaking pupils.
Spanish Private Schools
There are many varieties of Spanish private schools, some which teach enterely in Spanish and are subsidised by the State providing the have at least 25% Spanish students. Others are bilingual schools which place a strong emphasis on English.
Most are day Catholic schools and co-educational with classes from Monday to Friday. A subsidises Spanish school costs about €600 a year.
Foreign Schools
This umbrella includes schools solely for expats and schools which ecourage a mix of Spanish and foreign children.
If your prioritise an easy transition for your child over integration, it is worth considering a foreign school. Also if you are only staying in Spain on a short-term contract, you may feel it is not worthh putting your child through the strain of having to learn another language –although the immersion will stand them in good stead in future years.
International schools vary hugely, however, and they are not necessarily ghettoes for foreign pupils. Spain has the largest number of ‘foreign’ schools of any European country, meaning schools where the majority of pupils are from the host nation, and many Spanish seek the prestige of sending their child to an English-speaking school.
So although lessons may be in English, Spanish may rule in the playground. Fees vary from around €1,500-6,000 a year.
International Schools
Alicante
- Sierra Bernia School.- La Cañeta s/n, San Rafael - 03580, Alfaz Del Pi (Alicante) Telephone: (96) 687 51 49
- The Lady Elizabeth School.- Apartado de Correos 233, Javea 03730, (Alicante), Telephone: 34 96 573 19 60
- British School of Alicante King's Group.- C/ del Reino Unido 5, 03008 Alicante, Telephone: 96 5106351
- Newton College.- Camino Viejo de Elche, Alicante Km. 3 Telephone: 96 661 02 38
- Xabia International College.- Ctra. Cabo la Nao 21, Apartado de Correos 311 03730 Javea Telephone: 96 647 1785
Valencia
- British School Alzira.- Ctra. Alzira-Tavernes km 11. La Barraca de Aguas Vivas Alzira Telephone: +34 96 258 93 68 - 96 297 52 51
- Cambridge Community College.- C/ Profesorado Español 1, Santa Barbara, Rocafort, Valencia Telephone: +34 963 905 019
- Caxton College.- Ctra. Barcelona, s/n, 46530 Puçol, Valencia Telephone: +34 96 142 45 00
- English School Los Olivos.- Avda. Pino Panera, 25, 46110 Godella, Telephone: (96) 363 99 38
- El Plantio International School.- Urbanización. El Plantio, Calle 233, Nº 36, La Cañada, 46182, Paterna. Telephone: 96 132 14 10
- The British School Of Valencia.- Avda Peris y Valero, 53 - 57 46006 Valencia Telephone: 96 374 29 30
Castellón
- British School Of Vila-Real.- Telephone: 964 500 155
Málaga
- Aloha College Andalucia.- Urbanización el Angel, Nueva Andalucia, Marbella 29660 Málaga Tel: 95 281 4133
- St. Anthony's College.- Camino de Coín Km. 5.25 Mijas - Costa (Malaga) Telephone: : 952 47 31 66
- St. George's International School of Malaga.- Avda de la Centauréa, 8 29018 Málaga Telephone: 952 290149 & 952 204810 www.interschoolmalaga.com
- Swans International Primary School.- Urb. El Capricho s/n, 29600 Marbella Malaga Telephone: 95 277 32 48
- The English International College Marbella.- Urb. Ricmar CN. 340, km. 189,5 - 29600 Marbella. Telephone: 95 283 10 58 / 95 283 10 59
Higher education
Spain has 75 universities (universidades), 56 state-run and 19 private universities run by private enterprises or by the Catholic church, although 88 per cent of students attend state-run universities
The number of female students has increased by around 40 per cent in the last decade and they now outnumber male students (more women also complete their courses and obtain degrees than men).
Foreign students comprise just 3 percent of students at Spanish universities, with a third coming from European Union countries.
There are foru levels of higher education: university schools (escuelas universitarias), whico offer three-year courses such as vocational diplomas for teachers or nurses; university college (colegios universitarios), where you leave with a degree (diplomatura) at the end of three years; faculties (facultades), where you study for five or six years for the equivalent of an MA or MSc; and higher technical schools where you receive a degree in engineering or architecture after a period of 5-6 years.
EU nationals have an equal right to places in Spanish universities and most universities allocate five percent of places to non EU students. For further information about entrance requirements and how to validate your quelifications, contact the Ministry of Education: www.mec.es
Universities
Valencia
- Universidad de Valencia
- Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
- ESIC Business and Marketing School
- Universidad Cardenal Herrera CEU
Alicante
- Universidad de Alicante
- Universidad Miguel Hernandez
Castellón
Malaga
